epa09366877 Omar Salim (L) of Hungary attempts a kick on Ramnarong Sawekwiharee of Thailand in their Men's -58kg Repechage during the Taekwondo events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Makuhari Messe convention centre in Chiba, Japan, 24 July 2021. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa08665729 A Bryde's whale and seagulls feast on anchovies in the Gulf of Thailand, 12 September 2020 (issued 13 September 2020). Bryde's whales have been spotted more frequently after the absence of tourists and reduction of human activities due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic which raises hopes of the marine ecosystem restoring after years of damage by tourism. Bryde's whale is a baleen medium sized whale with dark grey color and a white underbelly living in tropical to temperate waters. An estimated population of 40 to 60 Bryde's whales are commonly seen along the upper Gulf of Thailand coastlines between September to December. The Bryde's whale is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which prohibits international trade of any parts of the animal. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa06995632 (02/21) Thai sisters Pan (Charoonroj) and Pin (Charoonphan) Romphoyen sit on a motorcycle riden by her grandmother on their way to school in Nakhon Sawan province, Thailand, 21 August 2018. Thai sisters Pan (Charoonroj) and Pin (Charoonphan) Romphoyen were born joined at the waist, it is difficult for the sisters to stand and walk without assistance, so they have learned to crawl 'crab-like' by using their hands on the ground for support. Pin controls the right foot on her side, while her older sister Pan controls the left foot. Together, they move where they want to go. The twins live with their grandparents in Nakhon Sawan province, some 240km north of Bangkok. Although their bodies are connected, their personalities and looks and likes are different. Pan loves her hair short, Pin always long, just one of the individual tastes the twins have, says Noknoi Pongchamnan, 43, their step-grandmother, who cares for the twins like their mother. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa06995630

epaselect epa08480452 A crocodile hatches from egg at the reopened Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Sriracha, Chonburi province, Thailand, 12 June 2020. The Tiger Zoo reopened and offered the free entry to attract visitors from 12 to 30 June 2020 in the effort to boost its income after being closed temporarily by coronavirus restrictions. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa06873720 Thai medics and police officers evacuate the first two children with a helicopter after rescued from Tham Luang cave before heading to hospital, at a helicopter pad in Chiang Rai province, Thailand, 08 July 2018. Members of a children soccer team and their assistant coach who have been trapped in Tham Luang cave since 23 June 2018 have been rescued on 08 July 2018. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epaselect epa08349881 A Thai nurse puts face shields on newborn babies as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic at Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi, in Samut Prakan province, Thailand, 08 April 2020. The hospital provides face shields to newborn infants to prevent the ongoing spread of COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epaselect epa08204338 Soldiers evacuate a hostage from a mass shooting scene at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 09 February 2020. According to media reports, at least 21 people were killed, and as many as 30 wounded after a Thai soldier, identified as 32-year-old Jakraphanth Thomma, went on a shooting rampage with a M60 machine gun in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat. Thomma held an unknown number of people hostage within the Terminal 21 shopping mall for around 17 hours before being shot and killed in a police operation. EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa06002717 An eight-year-old female elephant named Saen Dao dives with a Thai mahout inside a glass panel swimming pool at Khao Kheow Zoo, Chonburi province, Thailand, 01 June 2017. The elephant swimming and diving performance is held to educate visitors about pachyderm behavior as well as to promote tourism. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa05973251 (07/30) A Thai woman devotee has her hair and eyebrows shaved by Buddhist female monks or bhikkhuni during a mass female Buddhist novice monk ordination ceremony at Songdhammakalyani Monastery, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, 06 April 2017. An estimate of 95 per cent of the Thai population is Buddhist. Most Thai men aged over 20 from Buddhist families are expected to be ordained as monks. Thailand has roughly 300,000 Buddhist male monks but saffron-robed clad women are rarely seen. Recently, the number of female monks called Bhikkhuni has been growing and nowadays there are about 100 female monks nationwide. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT PLEASE REFER TO THE ADVISORY NOTICE (epa05973244) FOR FULL PACKAGE TEXT

epa03006171 Angry Thai residents throw floodwaters to police officers during a protest calling to remove sandbags from the top of the big bag flood barrier on Phahon Yothin road near Air Force base in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2011. The protesters complained that their houses had been flooded for almost a month and calling to remove sandbags so that floodwater could drain out of their area. The worst flooding in five decades has claimed over 500 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages industrial manufacturing plants, much of it foreign-owned and tourist sites shaving at least one per cent off the country's economic growth. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02980707 A Thai Buddhist monk wait for a buson a flooded highway in Bangkok, Thailand, 26 October 2011. Officials warned on 26 October that the swelling river in the densely populated heart of Bangkok could flood the capital in the next couple days. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02951258 Bodybuilder Mohammad Allamehzadeh of Iran competes in Men's Athletes Physique 170cm+3kg during the Asian and World Bodybuilding & Physique Sports Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, 05 October 2011. Bodybuilders from more than 30 Asian countries are set to flex their muscles to compete in the contest. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02941181 Andy Murray of Great Britain serves the ball to Michael Berrer of Germany during their second round match at the ATP PTT Thailand Open tennis tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, 29 September 2011. Murray won 6-4 and 6-2. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02855490 Thailand's new and first female Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (C), youngest sister of fugitive ousted premier Thaksin greets her Pheu Thai party's members after she was elected new premier at Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, 05 August 2011. Yingluck, 44, a businesswoman-turned-politician is set to become Thailand's new prime minister and the country's first woman to hold the government's top job. Pheu Thai party, whose de facto leader is fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra won in the July 3 general election and formed a six-party coalition controlling 300 seats in the 500-seat House. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02844850 A 28-day-old Golden Tiger cub drinks bottled milk fed by a Chimpanzee at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, Samut Prakan province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, 28 July 2011. The farm and zoo claims to be the world's largest crocodile farm with more than 80,000 freshwater and marine crocodiles, and offers shows such as crocodile wrestling to attract tourists. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02488343 Red shirt anti-government protesters release floating lanterns during the commemoration for those who were slain in April and May 2010 military crackdown at Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 December 2010. Members of the red-shirt group stage a rally in remembrance of the eight month anniversary of a deadly street clash with government troops in Bangkok which left 91 people dead and nearly 2,000 wounded and also to mark the 78th year of the constitution. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02817675 Newly ordained young hill tribe Buddhist monks chant during a mass ordination ceremony at Wat Benchamabophit, also known as the Marble temple, in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 July 2011. The annual ceremony this year has 285 hill tribe men being ordained as monks at the temple to mark the beginning of the three-month Buddhist Lent or Khao Pansa which this year begins on 16 July and also to celebrate Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 84th birthday. In Thailand every Buddhist man is expected to become a monk during some period of his life. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02696777 A street dog wears novelty sunglasses outside a shopping center in Bangkok, Thailand, 21 April 2011. An unidentified Thai boy put the sunglasses on the dog after playing with it, according to eyewitnesses. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa01960732 Supporters of coup ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra light candles during a demonstration at Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 December 2009. Thousands of Thaksin supporters gathered at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to protest against the military-backed 2007 constitution and to call for the resignation of the government. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02205724 Diego Forlan (C) of Uruguay celebrates with teammate Diego Godin (L) and Diego Lugano in front of Sout African fans after scoring the 1-0 lead during the FIFA World Cup 2010 group A preliminary round match between South Africa and Uruguay at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, 16 June 2010. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT Please refer to www.epa.eu/downloads/FIFA-WorldCup2010-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf

epa02559580 A photo made available on 01 February 2011 shows king penguins being fed at Melbourne Aquarium in Melbourne, Australia, 31 January 2011. The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin and is mainly found in subantarctic islands far to the north of the Antarctic. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02550172 World number one tennis player Rafael Nadal of Spain is dejected during a break in his quarterfinal match against his compatriot David Ferrer at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 26 January 2011. Ferrer beats Nadal in three sets heading to semifinal. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02163894 Black smoke rises to the sky as red shirt protesters set up fire burning tires and several building following the troops crackdown in Bangkok, Thailand, 19 May 2010. Thousands of Thai troops backed by armoured personnel carriers smashed through the barriers of anti-government protest site in the heart of Bangkok in a new offensive that so far had claimed at least four more lives. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa01512109 Angry Thai anti-government protesters hit police officers with sticks during a clashes near Parliamen House in Bangkok, Thailand, 07 October 2008. Thousands of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) marched on Parliament in an attempt to block the government's reading of a policy statement and launching moves to amend the constitution. Police fired tear gas and battled with protesters through the morning trying to block their path to parliament .Reports say over 70 people were injured, four severely wounded. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02111810 A red shirt with the portrait of fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra and flowers lie on the spot where anti-government protesters were killed in a military crackdown at Kao San road, a famous tourist spot in Bangkok, Thailand, 11 April 2010. Fierce clashes between Thai troops and protesters in Bangkok on 10 April 2010 claimed at least 19 lives and injured 807, government sources confirmed. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02082503 Supporters of fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra known as 'red shirts' face anti-riot police officers, who later gave way and let the protesters spill their collected blood outside the home of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 March 2010. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators loyal to coup-ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra marched to the home of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to spill blood on his doorstep as a gory protest against his 'elitist' rule to force to resign and call for new elections. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02048986 A photo made available on 23 February 2010 shows a Chinese doctor Lin Dong Qiang give Tui Na, Chinese massage therapy to a Thai patience for his spinal disease at Hua Chiew Thai-Chinese Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, 22 February 2010. The Chinese traditional therapies of acupuncture, fire cupping, Tui Na massage and herbal medicine are often used together to complement each other and increase the effectiveness of the treatment on bone and spine illnesses as well as on others ailments. Acupuncture uses thin needles inserted into the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes to balance the body's energy, thereby treating and preventing disease. The Stone Age Chinese medical practice is becoming a more widely accepted alternative therapy to Western medicine throughout Thailand and the rest of the world the world and Thailand alongside modern Western medicine. The World Health Organization recognizes more than 100 conditions that can be helped by acupuncture. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa01710677 Bengal tigers play as they cool off in water in scorching hot weather at the Tiger Temple, a Buddhist temple which has become a major tourist attraction and one of the few places in the world that allows visitors to touch tigers, outside the city of Kanchanaburi, about 200 km west of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 April 2009. The Tiger Temple visitor organisers report a significant drop in visitor numbers since recent travel warnings after violent political clashes following last year's closure of Bangkok's two airports as the Thai government prepares a rescue package for tourism-related businesses. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02023422 A North Pacific Giant Octopus swims in a display tank at an aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 February 2010. The 30 million US dollar aquarium in Bangkok is the largest in Southeast Asia featuring 30,000 marine animals. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

epa02022963 Thai-Chinese singer of the Chinese Opera troupe, Suma Charasnaew, 54, feeds her colleague's baby during a performance at a Chinese Shrine in Thonburi district of Bangkok, Thailand, 06 February 2010. The troupe is not based at the shrine. They came here to perform 3 nights of shows as part of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year celebration. Chinese Opera is based on ancient tales of heroes and the supernatural. The 47-strong crew is a mix of Thai and Thai-Chinese as well as some illegal immigrants from China. It is a family business which includes seamstresses, stagehands, prop builders, and actors. In the past Chinese Opera was very popular in the Chinese expat community which mostly speaks the Teochew dialect - the language in which the opera is performed. But now audience numbers are in decline. The effects of the economic recession have been widely felt. Fewer Thais can afford to come and watch shows and consequently performers’ wages have been cut. Added to this, fans can now watch the art form in their own home, as DVDs and online video streaming become more widespread. Elderly less mobile fans struggle to attend the shows whilst younger fans are not so aware of the traditions and less at ease with the Teochew dialect. The future of Chinese Opera in Thailand depends on young people taking up the profession, but there are few economic incentives to join. Many fear that the art form is in danger of being wiped out altogether in the country. The Chinese Opera troupe follows a certain high and low season. In the build-up to Chinese Lunar New Year (14 February 2010) many shows are performed in Thailand. But after the New Year the interest in Thailand dips, so they take the performance to Malaysia from April to July where the Teochew dialect is understood and there is a greater audience for Chinese opera. However, come September they are back in Bangkok for the Vegetarian festival. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT